


Think Again

by Minatu



Series: 30 Day Challenge (Zukka) [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dragon Knight!Zuko, M/M, Not Beta Read, Water Tribe Emissary!Hakoda, overthinking duo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24300955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minatu/pseuds/Minatu
Summary: It hit Sokka like a ton of bricks. He watched Zuko dismount from his dragon with a wide grin, his golden eyes wild with adrenaline, and Sokka felt his breath catch in his throat. The sheen of his skin in the hot, afternoon light; that easy grin he had as the commentators announced his victory; the way he pushed his wild bangs back with a single hand; and when their eyes met across the sea of people. Sokka’s heart stopped, and his stomach twisted into a complicated knot as he realized he was in love with his best friend.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: 30 Day Challenge (Zukka) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752778
Comments: 16
Kudos: 366





	1. Sokka

**Author's Note:**

> Used the OTP challenge [here](https://otp-imagines-cult.tumblr.com/post/133309701572/30daychallenge1). Day 2: Realization
> 
> “If you are afraid, change your way.” -Inuit Proverb

It hit Sokka like a ton of bricks. He watched Zuko dismount from his dragon with a wide grin, his golden eyes wild with adrenaline, and Sokka felt his breath catch in his throat. The sheen of his skin in the hot, afternoon light; that easy grin he had as the commentators announced his victory; the way he pushed his wild bangs back with a single hand; and when their eyes met across the sea of people. Sokka’s heart stopped, and his stomach twisted into a complicated knot as he realized he was in love with his best friend. Sokka almost felt ashamed for wanting it, watching as he looked away to catch Mai in his arms. There was no way that anything could happen between them. Sokka wished he’d never noticed.

Sokka turned away from the celebration, letting his feet carry him away. His mind was full of confusing thoughts. The world had changed completely. Sokka didn’t even know he was attracted to _boys_ , or was it just Zuko? Either way, it was a betrayal of his own heart to have feelings for the renowned dragon knight. 

What felt like hours later, Sokka found himself standing at the edge of the lake outside of town, his heart thundering in his chest and out of breath. Each heave of his chest was as much of a trial as the last, but he was alone except for the chirping of the birds. Sokka had come to the Fire Nation with his father and sister as emissaries of the Water Tribes. It was a show of peace to the two countries, and it happened every year. Over those several, yearly trips to the Fire Nation, Sokka had slowly become friends with Zuko. He knew Zuko would probably be betrothed to some Fire Nation noble woman soon (all signs pointed to Mai). There was no room for Sokka to even be considering these thoughts. 

The water on the lake shimmered under the light of the setting sun, and Sokka’s breath finally caught up to him. He was good at one thing, if nothing else, and that was letting things go. He couldn’t even begin to count how many times his sister or someone else spoke over him or he gave way to others opinions. He was good at letting everything go, and he had to do it this time too. His balled fists loosened as he convinced himself that that was what he had to do. He paced along the rocky shore of the lake, nodding along to each ridiculous claim he made about how terrible a relationship between he and Zuko would be, effectively sweeping it all under a mental rug. Sokka felt assured.

He would let it go.

* * *

“Sokka! There you are!” Katara sounded relieved as she hurried over to him from inside the Moon Palace, which while connected to the Imperial Palace was considered separate and was for foreign dignitaries. It was where Sokka and Katara had stayed with their father every year for two months during midsummer before it became too hot in the Fire Nation for them to feel comfortable visiting and just after winter’s strength finally began to wane in their own country. 

“You left me all alone with Azula and Zuko for dinner! I had to make some excuse about you feeling too unwell. There was a whole celebration, Sokka! They gave me weird looks!” Katara’s relief had settled and now her annoyance was at full nagging mode. Sokka nodded along to what she said, waiting for her to run out of steam. He didn’t have the energy to nitpick at everything she said today. Besides, Sokka was pretty sure he deserved it for disappearing most of the day. 

“Sorry, Katara,” Sokka said finally, when she ran out of things to nag about. She sighed, shaking her head as she looked at him. 

“Where did you go anyway?” she asked after a long stretch of silence between them. It was then that Sokka noticed Katara was still weighed down under several layers of blue and purple silks, the style obviously Fire Nation but still paid homage to the Water Tribe in the selection of colors. Katara looked exhausted, and it became clear to him that it had been a long day for her.

“...well,” Sokka started, not really sure where exactly he had gone, “here and there?” He said the words lightly, hoping Katara would let the joke pass. He didn’t particularly feel like explaining himself in depth about any part of the day. Sokka didn’t want his thoughts to shift back to Zuko again, atop his magnificent, red dragon and... Sokka shook his head slightly to clear the train of thought. Katara had crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. Not a good sign.

“Ok...” Katara eyed him suspiciously, but luck was on Sokka’s side when she decided not to press any further after her initial response. Sokka could tell she was just waiting for him to leak all the details, but that simply wasn’t going to happen. Instead, Sokka gave her a small smile of appreciation, patted her shoulder, and made his escape up the shining, wooden stairs. Sokka could never get used to all the pomp and luxury of the Moon Palace. 

* * *

Sokka remembered the first time he had stumbled across the Sun Palace. It glowed with all the colors around it, and the first time he’d seen it was at sunset, and it had been beautiful. Even now, looking at it cast in blue and gold under the afternoon light, Sokka thought that the palace was something out of a story book. He had no clue how they had managed to get what should’ve been a white building to look so vibrant and colorful off the sun’s ray, but it was clear how it had gotten its namesake. The Sun Palace was the Queen’s palace, which was empty since the queen had passed away all those years ago. Sokka knew no one would think to look for him outside the abandoned palace, so he roamed the immaculate garden there in relative peace. 

He was trying to convince himself that he wasn’t avoiding Zuko, but his heart was in no way prepared to confront his newly discovered emotions without becoming an obvious, spluttering mess as he had discovered earlier when they went to breakfast. However, when Zuko had asked if he was feeling better, a note of concern was obvious in his voice when he asked, especially considering the way Sokka had barely eaten a thing since his stomach was roiling with distress at the sight of Zuko. When Sokka failed to answer, Katara spoke up saying he was fine while thrusting an elbow into his ribs to tell him to stop acting weird. 

Sokka couldn’t help it though. He had never really had such strong feelings for someone else before realizing he was attracted to them! Every other tentative relationship he had had been a lot more clear cut, besides that one time the girl already had a fiancé. That one had been a mess from day one. Even then though, Sokka had never really been friends with them for long before he began flirting with them. This time, though, Sokka couldn’t just flip the switch and begin flirting willy-nilly with a _Prince_ of the _Fire Nation_. There were limits to how insane he could be. 

Sokka came to the middle of the garden where a small pond sat, occupied by a pair of ducks and a few turtles swimming around. He settled his chin on his knees watching the ducks swim around together with a firm frown in place on his face. He was thinking too much, and he _knew_ that, but it was also impossible to stop. That was the problem when he got snagged on a particular train of thought. He kept peeling and peeling back that onion until there was nothing left to dig into but he kept going until the thought was nothing more than a farce of its original self. 

Sokka looked up when he heard rustling, and suddenly a lanky girl with a cute face stood in front of him. Her brown eyes went wide when she saw him. She immediately bowed slightly to him, leaves falling out of her braided hair.

“Sorry for disturbing you,” she said quickly, “I was looking for a good hiding spot..” Sokka had seen her before, but it took him a moment to remember her name, Ty Lee. Sokka merely waved a hand absentmindedly.

“You’re Azula’s friend, Ty Lee, right?” he asked for confirmation. She nodded quickly in response before hurrying off to look for somewhere else to hide but not without bowing again to which Sokka merely returned with a wave. It was so weird for him to be bowed to, even if it was just a respect thing... it didn’t sit right with him. 

A few minutes later, Azula burst from the bushes with a confident expression, “I found you!” She looked surprised to find Sokka there instead of Ty Lee, who he assumed she had been looking for. Sokka watched her expression smooth as she fixed him with a hard gaze.

“What are you doing here?” she asked instead of addressing her earlier actions. Sokka shrugged, not moving from his spot. 

“Just... being,” Sokka gestured vaguely. Azula made a face of disgust at him.

“Find somewhere else.” It was an order. Sokka could tell from her tone, but he wasn’t exactly obligated to listen to the Fire Nation Princess. She had no authority outside of her own palace from what Sokka had learned after several visits here, however he also knew that it was generally easier to just acquiesce to her demands. Sokka wasn’t really a fan of confronting the wrath of a budding royal. 

Sokka stood, brushing the dirt off of his trousers and fixing Azula with a look for a moment, “Ty Lee went that way.” He pointed vaguely in the direction he remembered her running, and Azula leveled him with a final warning look before storming off in the direction he pointed. Sokka sighed softly, a bit remorseful that his hiding spot had been spoiled for him. He slowly made his way back toward the Moon Palace, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. Sokka didn’t think he was very likely to run into Zuko since most of his day consisted of studying to inherit the monarchy. 

And he was right.

* * *

It was a few days before their return to the Southern Water Tribe, and Katara was sending him pointed looks since breakfast. Sokka knew she had noticed that Sokka had been avoiding Zuko the past week, but Sokka had honestly needed the time to figure out how he was supposed to exist in the same space as Zuko again. He felt bad because he could tell that Zuko was hurt by his actions, but Sokka needed him to never, _ever_ find out why.

“Did you and Zuko fight?” Katara asked, glancing up from the book she’d been reading in the library of the Moon Palace. Sokka was mostly just loitering in the room, and staring out at the gardens where Zuko was training. Sokka knew if he went out, Zuko might try to speak to him, so he was stuck inside. 

“N-No! Why would you think that?” Sokka yelped in surprise, turning to face his sister and feeling his cheeks heat by the second because of how he sounded. He should’ve said that they had. Sokka gave Katara a nervous grin. He had always been bad at lying to her, so maybe this was for the best.

“Really?” she deadpanned in a way that implied she thought he was lying about the argument, when they had, in fact, _not_ argued at all. No, this was entirely a Sokka thing. Sokka sighed, tugging at his wolf’s-tail thoughtfully.

“We... really didn’t,” Sokka said, eyes wandering back toward the window. Maybe he should try to talk to Zuko, at least reassure him that he didn’t do anything wrong or _something_. The guilt was honestly starting to get to him. Especially with the looks Katara was throwing him.

“Then why are you avoiding him?” Katara finally asked after an uncomfortable stretch of silence. Sokka pulled his eyes away from the window to find Katara standing beside him and gazing in the direction he had been only moments ago.

“I don’t really have a good reason.” This was as close to admitting anything that Sokka could get. Katara met his gaze with a knowing look, and Sokka felt his chest clench at her expression. He felt like she had just seen completely through him in a way he did not want to be seen. Katara’s expression fell when she saw the terror in Sokka’s eyes.

“Oh, Sokka...” Her voice rang sympathetically through the quiet of the library, and Sokka looked away from her bright, innocent eyes. She didn’t understand, not really, but Sokka appreciated it nonetheless. 

“Please, I don’t want to talk about it,” Sokka responded, arms wrapped around himself. Katara rubbed his back gently for a moment before returning to the loveseat she had been occupying only moments before. Sokka’s eyes returned to Zuko, training and glistening with sweat. Sokka swallowed tightly and willed his emotions to disappear.

* * *

“Ah, Sokka, would you join me for some tea?” Sokka was surprised to find the Fire Lord requesting him to meet him. Honestly, Sokka had never really spoken to him one-on-one before as someone else had always been there with him like Zuko or his father. 

“Of course,” Sokka responded with a quick bow to the Fire Lord and followed him down the red and gold halls to an almost quaint, in comparison to the rest of the palace, sitting room. The Fire Lord motioned for Sokka to sit, and he settled onto the soft cushions with a sigh. He honestly couldn’t help feeling nervous as he stared at the Fire Lord in front of him. 

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve asked you to meet with me?” the Fire Lord started with a slight smile to his face as a servant poured tea into cups for them. 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Sokka responded stiffly. The Fire Lord waved a hand dismissively.

“Call me Uncle,” he smiled magnanimously at Sokka. Sokka merely gave a nervous smile in response. There was a lengthy silence between the two of them as the Fire Lord, Iroh, enjoyed the tea. Sokka wasn’t as big of a fan as Iroh obviously was, but he was thankful for the silence between them while simultaneously dreading what might be said next.

“It has come to my attention that you and my nephew got into an argument?” Iroh spoke finally, and if Sokka wasn’t feeling uncomfortable before then he certainly was now. Sokka remained silent, his stomach becoming turbulent. He was unable to drink even a sip of the tea but he kept it pressed to his mouth as if it could serve as an ample excuse to not speak. Iroh didn’t press Sokka on the issue when he was looking so uncomfortable, forging ahead instead.

“Would it be possible for you to forgive him?” he asked, running a finger over his white beard for a moment. He looked at Sokka as if he had no doubt about Sokka’s answer, but Sokka felt his stomach twist instead. He didn’t like how the blame was pinned on Zuko when it was Sokka’s fault things were like this. 

“Prince Zuko did nothing wrong,” Sokka finally spoke. He didn’t dare add onto the sentence, gazing seriously into his cup with his brows furrowed. Iroh chuckled softly, taking another sip of his tea and looking less concerned than he had moments ago.

“Well, then. That is good,” Iroh breathed, “My nephew has already forgiven you for it.” Sokka tore his eyes away from the Fire Lord’s with a frown pulling at his lips. Zuko didn’t even know what he had done, and there was no way he could have already forgiven him for it. Sokka, however, was not going to voice those thoughts. 

“I suppose that brings me to my final question,” Iroh spoke after a moment, clearly aware that Sokka was avoiding participating in the conversation, “Your father and I were discussing solidifying the alliance between our nations with marriage, and considering you have the best relationship with Zuko, we thought you were the best candidate.” Sokka had frozen, his eyes suddenly flicking up to meet Iroh’s. The Fire Lord looked dead serious, and still, Sokka couldn’t believe his ears.

A prolonged silence.

“Wait, what?” Sokka spoke finally, his confusion clear in his voice. Iroh observed Sokka’s expression for a moment.

“If you do not wish to marry my nephew, you may say so,” Iroh responded. Sokka’s mind was reeling. He had spent the last week freaking out about having a _crush_ on Zuko while his father and the Fire Lord were discussing _this_!? Sokka honestly couldn’t believe the irony. He finally gathered himself enough to speak again.

“Has...” he swallowed nervously, “Has Prince Zuko agreed to this?” Sokka had to know. His heart raced and he stopped breathing as he waited for Iroh’s response. The old man smiled at him before he spoke. 

“Zuko agreed to it before I even brought it up with your father,” Iroh responded, and something in Sokka warmed to the nth degree. He couldn’t believe Zuko had known about this the whole time and still... still acted the same as always. He had wasted a whole week on overthinking his own feelings, and Zuko had been open to the possibility, if not already, _liked_ him back? Sokka wanted to bash his own head in. 

“I...” Sokka started. His mouth was dry like he was afraid to admit he was interested in Zuko. He had been repressing all of these feelings for a week, and now he was finding it impossible to answer something that should have been easy.

“It’s alright,” Iroh assured him, “You don’t have to answer me right away. Take your time to consider it well.” The Fire Lord set his emptied cup on the table between them and rose. Sokka stood as well quickly, and he was left alone in the sitting room. His mind raced with what had just happened, and he fell back onto the couch and just sat with his face pressed into his hands for a long time. 

* * *

Sokka caught his father before he stepped out to the Imperial Palace. It was there last day in the Fire Nation, and he was sure he wouldn’t see his father again until the end of the day by then it would be too late. His heart was pounding in his ears when his father turned to look at him.

“What is it, Sokka?” His father sounded slightly concerned, but Sokka drew in a deep breath, hoping it would help build his confidence to speak.

“Could you tell the Fire Lord that I agree to his... proposition?” Sokka had almost said “proposal” there, and honestly it would’ve been too on the nose for his comfort. Hakoda smiled slightly at him.

“Of course, son,” he responded, and Sokka knew immediately that he knew what Sokka was talking about. Sokka felt himself flush in embarrassment, but Hakoda had already turned to leave after giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. Sokka had a feeling he just doubled his father’s workload for the day. He had probably sat in on the conversation that he’d had with Iroh for too long when he knew his answer the moment he’d been asked, but Sokka had been afraid.

It took a moment for Sokka to realize that he’d made it official. He was engaged... to Zuko.


	2. Zuko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.” - Japanese Idiom

Zuko couldn’t remember the exact moment he fell in love with Sokka. It was honestly hard to pinpoint, considering how often he tripped up when it came to love. He had made the mistake of thinking he liked someone who was nothing more than a friend to him more times than he dared to admit. With Sokka though, all of that paled in comparison. Zuko was pretty sure he fell in love with Sokka very slowly, in a way that more of just caught him by surprise more than anything else. 

Each year that Sokka and his family came up to the Fire Nation, Sokka had become more handsome, filling out and looking less and less like the lanky kid he’d been when they first met. This particular midsummer, Zuko had caught a glimpse of the muscle that was hidden under the blue tunic Sokka wore, and it took his breath away completely. Zuko couldn’t even remember the rest of their conversation, much less how he managed to make it through it with any semblance of coherency. 

He felt his cheeks heating up even as he thought about it now. Zuko had planned to confess to Sokka after he won the tourney. His beautiful dragon, Homare, had been in top condition, and Zuko had no doubts. He had been anxious beyond comparison, adrenaline thrumming through his limbs and his stomach twisting in anxious knots when he thought about what would come after his victory. He took a deep breath, palm pressed against his chest and found his determination as he mounted Homare in his traditional, black and red armor. 

Zuko had always been good at dragon riding. He had raised Homare from a baby himself as many dragon knights did with their lifelong battle companions. It wasn’t an easy process either to obtain a dragon. First, he had to go through a trial to determine the kind of dragon that would be right for him by retired dragon knights. Zuko had been matched to the infamous red dragons, the most aggressive and difficult of dragons to bond with. At the same time, if he succeeded, he would have the strongest dragon in all of the knights. Their first Fire Lord was often depicted in tapestries with a great, red dragon, and Zuko’s heart swelled with pride when he received the news that he would be paired with a red dragon. 

The problem with red dragons, though, was that they were also notoriously difficult to find eggs for. Zuko was lucky that his cousin, Lu Ten, helped him look for one. It had taken months, and Zuko had to climb a mountain on his own and bring the egg back down as it was tradition. Zuko didn’t look fondly at those turbulent days, but running a hand over Homare’s blood red scales made it feel a little worth it. Zuko felt like he had used up all his luck in life on finding his dragon. He hoped the universe would spare him just a little more so he could get through his plan easier. 

Zuko gripped Homare’s reins and guided her to the starting line. When he gazed out on the crowd gathered to watch the tourney, he found Sokka sitting with Katara and their father. He smiled a little to himself seeing Sokka’s open, impressed expression at the sight of the dragons all lined up and waiting to take to the sky. His helmet hid his face, but he knew everyone knew which one was him. He was the only knight with a red dragon, after all. 

Zuko swallowed tightly as the horns signaled the start of the race. He shouted a command to Homare, who had already started moving before he even said a thing. Homare loved races, and so did Zuko. He often felt his happiest in the middle of a race, the wind whipping past him as they took the lead with ease aided by the years of practice with each other. Homare was basically an extension of himself when they sailed through the sky at break-neck speeds. Zuko laughed as they whizzed past the trailing black dragon, lapping it. Homare let out a fearsome roar, scaring a blue dragon and another black one. 

The race was over before Zuko knew it. The crowd cheered wildly for him and Homare’s victory. Zuko could hear his heart pounding in his ears as they landed, sending up a great cloud of dust. Homare roared again, gleefully, and clearly feeling as excited as Zuko was. He ran a hand over her scales, laughing. Zuko had known he would win, but now that he had, it still felt amazing. He pulled off his helmet and shook his messy hair out before sliding down off of Homare’s back. Homare pressed her gigantic head into Zuko’s arms with a purr the moment she could, and Zuko patted her gently for a moment before he was interrupted by the crowd descending upon him. 

“Congratulations,” she said to him in one of her rare, non-sarcastic moments. Zuko grinned back at her, enveloping her in a tight hug for a moment.

“Thanks,” he responded as he pulled away, and Mai nodded at him with a small smile. Zuko’s eyes left hers as he looked over the gathered crowd and found Sokka, a new grin splitting across his face at the sight of his dear friend. He started making his way toward Sokka but was slowed by several people requesting an autograph or a handshake or some other thing. Zuko was terrible at dealing with pushy people, finding himself folding to each request, and before he knew it, Sokka was gone. 

Zuko’s heart felt like it had fallen out of his chest. He hadn’t even gotten to hear Sokka congratulate him. He wouldn’t have minded never admitting his feelings if he had just gotten to speak to Sokka. 

Zuko looked everywhere for Sokka, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Even the servants in the Moon Palace said he hadn’t returned, and unfortunately, as the winner, Zuko had to show up to the awards ceremony and subsequent feast and ball in celebration. All of which he saw neither hide nor hair of Sokka the entire time, and Zuko was more than a little depressed about it.

* * *

Zuko had hoped it wasn’t the case, but at this point it was obvious that Sokka was avoiding him. Everytime he approached Sokka, Sokka suddenly had something to do, or Sokka dropped the formalities entirely and just turned around to go back where he came from like he had left something important behind. It was driving Zuko insane. He had no clue what he had done to offend Sokka, but at this point he had carefully analyzed every single interaction they’d had before to the point where he was almost positive even meeting Sokka’s eyes could be construed as an offensive gesture. 

In the years Zuko had known Sokka, Sokka had always been fairly easy going, moving past any transgressions he or anyone else made as if they hadn’t happened at all. So there was no doubt in Zuko’s mind that this issue was anyone’s fault but his own. His plan to confess to Sokka was in shambles, and now he knew that his uncle would probably talk to Sokka about their marriage proposal while Sokka was  _ angry _ with him. It was the worst possible case scenario for any of this to be happening, and Zuko couldn’t focus on anything. 

Zuko sat in his sitting room gazing at the wallpaper with a blank expression. His tutor had left him hours ago after realizing that Zuko was in no state to learn anything. Zuko would’ve felt bad for wasting the tutor’s time, but even the welcome distraction of studying simply wasn’t working for him this time. Zuko was losing it. He knew he had ruined every single part of his multi-step plan that he had been working on for  _ years _ . Ever since he had realized he liked Sokka, after that first midsummer where they had all gone swimming at the lake and Sokka had seen that dark trail of hair on Sokka’s firm stomach and he had gotten his first wet dream about it, Zuko had been carefully hiding his feelings. He wanted Sokka to like him back so badly, but he knew it might never happen. He had seen and heard how Sokka felt about girls more times than he could count. 

Until finally, Zuko realized his brilliant plan. He would be the absolute  _ best _ friend Sokka could ever hope for. He would shower Sokka in affection until Sokka couldn’t imagine life without him. Then he would impress him with the tourney and confess, and hopefully receive a positive response, but if not, their friendship would be so solid Zuko wouldn’t lose him entirely. Then with a positive response, he could have his uncle suggest a political marriage between their two nations, setting up for the final, perfect step of the plan. However, none of it had happened that way, and now Zuko was dreading the moment his uncle mentioned it all to Sokka. He wanted to scream. He was so sure he would never see Sokka again, and this had not been at all what he wanted. 

“Prince Zuko, the Fire Lord requests your presence,” a servant spoke in a low voice after knocking on his door. Zuko nodded in response, and followed the servant out into the hall. He was led to the Fire Lord’s office, and his heart was pounding loud in his chest. Had it finally happened? Was he officially rejected? He had tried so hard all week to try and apologize for whatever he had done, to repair their relationship, but Sokka had made it clear that he didn’t wish to speak to him. Dread swirled in the pit of his stomach like a viper waiting to sink its teeth in.

The servant knocked on the large, ornate doors to the Fire Lord’s office and announced Zuko’s arrival, but Zuko wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to hear the inevitable words of decline. Everything had gone awry so suddenly, and he couldn’t fix it. Zuko wished so desperately that he could have. He wanted more than anything to fix it. 

“Prince Zuko, welcome,” the Fire Lord greeted him. Zuko bowed deeply to his uncle. It still felt a little weird for him to be called a prince when his father had become a duke when his uncle took the throne, decreeing Lu Ten as Crown Prince and Zuko as his spare. His father had been outraged that he had not become the Fire Lord, and Zuko could only be glad that he didn’t have to see his father again any time soon. 

“Uncle, I-” Zuko started, determined to postpone the news Iroh had for as long as possible, but Iroh stopped him before he could with a single hand. 

“Please, take a seat first. Let’s not let the tea get cold,” Iroh spoke, standing from his desk and moving to sit across from the couch Zuko settled on without protest. His face still showed his displeasure though, and Iroh knew that hiding his emotions was not something Zuko was particularly well versed at. Everyone in the palace knew the moment Zuko became like a girl in love in front of Sokka, stammering over his words and red-faced when the two were barely fourteen. The only person who had paid no mind to it all was Sokka, the one who Zuko’s affections were so obviously directed towards. 

Iroh settled onto the couch with a contented sigh, glad to take a break from all the papers piling on his desk. His butler stepped forward with a tea pot to pour their cups with practiced grace. Zuko wrinkled his nose slightly at the flowery scent, but otherwise made no other obvious expressions of disgust toward the tea that Iroh had chosen. Iroh chuckled softly to himself, taking in the scent of the hot tea appreciatively. He had always thought it was unfortunate that Zuko didn’t appreciate the beverage like he thought Zuko should.

“I spoke to Sokka earlier,” he started, watching Zuko’s paling expression. It probably wasn’t right of him to tease his nephew like this, but knowing that it would end on a happy note made it all the more fun. Zuko stared into the tea like a man awaiting a death sentence, and Iroh let the silence become palpable between them, taking a leisurely sip from his cup.

“Zuko, you should not give up all hope before you know the answer,” Iroh sighed. Zuko’s head jerked up, and he looked at the Fire Lord with wide, golden eyes. There was the hopeful expression Iroh had been looking for. He smiled again at his nephew, taking another slow sip of his tea. Zuko looked like he wanted to ask the question to hurry the conversation with how his lips opened and closed in thought. 

Finally, Zuko gained the bravery to speak, “What... What did he say?” Iroh could tell from Zuko’s expression that he was hanging onto his every word now.

“He said he wasn’t mad at you!” Iroh deliberately answered the question that Zuko wasn’t looking for the answer for. For a moment, Zuko looked frustrated but then he was confused, getting hung up on what Iroh had said. Sokka wasn’t mad? But then why did he...? Iroh could practically hear the squeaking of the hamster wheel turning inside of his nephew’s head. He chuckled again to himself, indulging in another slow sip of tea. Iroh could never get enough of the beverage, something about it was just so fulfilling for him.

“Wait, uncle!” Zuko yelped suddenly, realizing himself, “That wasn’t what I was asking about.” Iroh quirked an eyebrow, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“No?” he responded idly, “He said he’d think about it.” Iroh paused for dramatic effect, watching several expressions pass over Zuko’s face as he tried to determine whether he was supposed to feel excited or nervous, happiness or despair. 

“Though I am certain we will receive his agreement through Hakoda tomorrow.” Iroh left no doubt in his tone as he spoke, and Zuko’s eyes were the size of saucers. He had certainly gotten his fair share of amusement watching both Zuko and Sokka agonize over this. He let Zuko ruminate over their conversation while he finished his tea in silence.

* * *

Zuko was determined to track down Sokka. Their delegation would be leaving tomorrow, and Zuko couldn’t afford to continue to give Sokka his space any longer. He wouldn’t let Sokka leave before he could confirm that Sokka truly wished to marry him with his own eyes and ears. A part of him was immensely concerned that had only agreed under the assumption that it was for the greater good, not that that was necessarily a good enough reason for Sokka to actually agree, considering their countries would remain allied whether they did or not. 

Zuko entered the Moon Palace, surprising all of the servants that had been working diligently in the main hall. Zuko didn’t stop to acknowledge any of them, continuing forward toward the library where he knew Sokka had been hiding just the day before. He was frustrated and anxious, every ounce of emotion ready to boil over at any moment when he pushed open the door to the library. Katara shot up from the loveseat in surprise, her book shutting closed as she scrambled to properly greet him.

“Prin-prince Zuko!” she said, surprise clear in her voice. Zuko waved off her formalities, moving on to what was pressing on his mind instead.

“Where is he?” he demanded, feeling impatient, and clearly taking out those feelings on an unintended target. It was impossible for him to hold them back any longer, though he still had the decency to wince at the sound of his voice. Katara, with her limitless amount of grace, let his tone slide.

“He went out the window when he saw you coming,” she gestured toward the open window, and Zuko felt personally attacked by Sokka’s level of dedication to avoiding him. Sokka had agreed to marry him, but still he was running away. Even though his uncle said Zuko had not done anything to make him angry, it felt like Zuko  _ had _ with how he was being avoided. Zuko sighed, moving toward the window. He caught the spot of blue hurrying through the garden, and with none of the dignity of a prince, he jumped out the window to give chase. 

Sokka wasn’t exactly running from Zuko. It was more of a fast walk away with unnecessary nervous arm gestures that made him look completely ridiculous. None of that helped him gain any distance between him and Zuko, and when he glanced back over his shoulder at Zuko, who looked incredibly peeved about having to chase him, well. He liked to think he gave a manly sounding yelp. It was difficult to parse what was going on when he had to run and think. Sokka honestly wasn’t even sure why he was still avoiding Zuko, was it the latent embarrassment that he  _ knew _ that Zuko  _ knew _ , and well, it’s hard to face him when they both learned of each other’s feelings through a convoluted game of telephone. 

“Sokka!” Zuko yelled after him with an annoyed tone, and Sokka felt his feet move a little faster, which was probably not the intended effect. 

Eventually, Sokka ran out of steam. He was hot, sweaty and out of breath, but at least, so was Zuko. Zuko’s long hair clung to his neck as he gave Sokka a withering look, to which Sokka gave an awkward grin in reply. How he managed to stop breathing so hard for a second to manage the expression, he would never know. Zuko reached out, grasping Sokka’s bicep firmly to keep him from running away again once he closed the distance between them.

“Hey... buddy,” Sokka greeted nervously. Zuko stared intensely at him for a moment.

“I’m... sorry,” Zuko finally spoke once Sokka had caught his breath, “I don’t know what I did, but whatever it was, I apologize... and please tell me so I can never do it again.” Zuko, at this point, felt like this last bit of running made it sorely obvious that he had done something to offend Sokka greatly. Self-deprecating as always. Sokka looked at Zuko,  _ really _ looked, and a wave of guilt washed over him as he met Zuko’s imploring expression. 

“Wait, no. You didn’t do anything,” Sokka started, swallowing hard and tried to think of some way to lighten the heavy mood. He was coming up a bit... dry. 

“I may have called you Prince Jerk-face when we were kids, but I  _ haven’t _ called you that to Katara in at least a month,” Sokka said with a playful grin, to which Zuko started to return, but he still looked unsure. 

“Then... why did you...?” he trailed off as if afraid to even ask, and Sokka could still tell he thought it was all because of him. Sokka hated that. He hated that Zuko always thought all of the blame fell to him every time something happened. However, Sokka wasn’t really sure if he could make him  _ not _ feel that way. So instead, he let his hands find Zuko’s equally warm and kind of sweaty ones and squeezed gently.

“Well,” Sokka began, feeling his cheeks heat as he considered what he was going to say, “Between you and me, it’s because I realized my fianc é is hot.” He leaned in close to Zuko as he said it, to build comedic effect but also to hopefully disguise his own embarrassment at admitting his own feelings. Zuko turned bright red in response, his eyes wide with surprise. It was, honestly, a satisfying response for Sokka, especially because he wasn’t the only one blushing now. Zuko, however, was instantly rendered catatonic by Sokka referring to himself as Sokka’s  _ fianc _ _ é _ . He honestly wasn’t sure if his ears were even working properly. 

“I...” Zuko stammered incoherently. His mouth producing sounds instead of the words he wanted them to. Sokka’s lips trembled as he tried to hold back his laugh. His eyes shone with mirth, and the sight had Zuko even more star-struck than he had been just seconds ago because Sokka really had agreed to marry him. He looked happy even, when they were all alone together with the thought at the forefront of their minds. Zuko didn’t care if Sokka was laughing at him. He was probably going to start crying at any moment now because he couldn’t wait to have this sight every day for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaannnnnnnnnddd done! hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> part 2 will probably go up tomorrow or something


End file.
